Khang’s [a trans man] pregnancy and the birth of his baby girl in May with his partner, a transgender woman, has made headlines in Vietnam, where it is rare for gay or transgender couples to have children despite broad LGBT+ acceptance. […]
The baby’s birth has been celebrated by the transgender community and highlighted Vietnam’s position as one of the most progressive countries on LGBT+ rights in Asia, where many gay or transgender people are still persecuted and even jailed. But it has also underscored what activists say are a lack of legal protections and persistent discrimination due to a delay in a law to fully recognize transgender people.
Vietnam has quietly become a trailblazer on LGBT+ rights in Asia in recent years, with laws to decriminalize gay marriage and allow same-sex couples to live together, although it stopped short of a full legal recognition of such unions.
A law passed in 2015 to allow transgender people to legally change their gender in official documents has yet to come into force, becoming a barrier for transgender people like Khang and his 21-year-old partner, Dang Ngoc Minh Anh.
Transgender man Mai Nhu Thien An said the legal delay creates daily difficulties for transgender people, from health care to banking services, because they cannot legally change their name on identity documents.
“When trans people go for a checkup at the hospital, they would be denied because their gender on paper doesn’t match their appearance,” said the founder of the Female-to-Male (FTM) Vietnam Organization, a research and advocacy group.
“The biggest problem is health care. Trans people still buy and inject hormones on their own and go to ‘underground’ places for (reassignment) surgery,” said An, 26, who since 2015 has run a Facebook transgender support group with over 5,500 members.
Currently, numerous members of the LGBTI+ community in Vietnam openly disclose their gender identity and sexual orientation without fear of stigmatisation or prejudice, according to iSEE. In addition, they have the opportunity to establish themselves at school, in work, and in all areas of life.
Grete Lochen, Ambassador of Norway to Vietnam said, “Vietnam has a youthful, diverse, and proud LGBTI+ community with increasing acceptance from society. Being a lesbian myself, I have personally experienced this advancement very clearly. The country can serve as an example of inclusiveness for other nations in the area, albeit considerable work remains.”
Vietnam has implemented some legislative protections for the LGBTI+ population. In 2014, the new Marriage and Family Law lifted the restriction on same-sex marriage; while Article 37 of the 2015 Civil Code, which went into effect in 2017, permits gender reassignment surgery.
Some of their videos have English subs, by watching those or if you understand Vietnamese you can get a general idea of the social, cultural, and political state of the LGBT community.
Regarding Vietnam
Excerpts from an article from 2020:
Excerpts of article from 2022
Here is a Luna Oi video about LGBT celebreties in VN, at 3:17 she starts talking about trans celebrities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRCW5ldCkM4
Personally, I watch this Vietnamese channel sometimes, called “Come out LGBT Viet Nam” https://www.youtube.com/c/ComeOutLGBTViệtNam/videos
It is common to see interviews of transgender guests on there, here is search results of “người chuyển giới” meaning “transgender person”
here is an interview of a trans girl and trans guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t8DAEqllfQ
Some of their videos have English subs, by watching those or if you understand Vietnamese you can get a general idea of the social, cultural, and political state of the LGBT community.